Hawk Mountain to show documentary detailing bald eagle's comeback

The 22-minute film, "Pennsylvania Bald Eagles: Celebrating 30 Years of Restoration," was recently released by the Pennsylvania Game Commission.

A documentary about the bald eagle's comeback in Pennsylvania will… (HAL KORBER, PENNSYLVANIA…)

September 27, 2013|By Ryan Kneller, Of The Morning Call

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary will debut the new wildlife documentary "Pennsylvania Bald Eagles: Celebrating 30 Years of Restoration" at 5 p.m. Saturday in the Sanctuary Visitor Center.

The 22-minute film, recently released by the Pennsylvania Game Commission, details the conservation success story of bald eagles across the state. The free showing is the first installment in the sanctuary's annual Autumn Lecture Series.

"The bald eagle's recovery in Pennsylvania has been nothing short of remarkable, and this film does an incredible job of telling that story," Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Carl Roe said in a news release. "It celebrates a victory for wildlife conservation and will leave residents feeling proud to be Pennsylvanians."

The documentary shares the story of the early days of hunting of eagles, and the seven-year restoration project launched in 1983 by the Game Commission. At that time, biologists could document just three bald eagle nests (all along the Ohio border) and six adult bald eagles in the entire state.

Thirty years later, there are 271 nests statewide, including a local pair of bald eagles seen frequently from the Hawk Mountain lookout

The documentary was filmed and edited by Game Commission videographers Hal Korber and Tracy Graziano. After making a tour around the state, the film will be made available to the public online.

Roe said the Game Commission staff and board have responded warmly, and describes the film as a moving portrayal of the bald eagle's comeback.

"People have an indescribable connection with bald eagles, and to see the bald eagle's tale of triumph laid out in this manner simply is a thing of beauty," he said.